Aryzta AG: Total voting rights

In conformity with Regulation 20 of the Transparency (Directive 2004/109/EC) Regulations
2007, ARYZTA AG announces:

* The total number of registered shares of nominal value CHF 0.02 each in issue as at 12
July 2010 is 85,044,795
* The Company holds 2,234,359 registered shares in treasury
* The total number of voting rights therefore is 82,810,436

Disclosure of Shareholdings on Irish Stock Exchange (ISE):

82,810,436 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which
they determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their
interest in, ARYZTA AG under the Transparency (Directive 2004/109/EC) Regulations 2007.

Enquiries:

Hilliard Lombard
Head of Group Finance and Communications
ARYZTA AG
Tel: +41 (0) 44 583 4200
info@aryzta.com mailto:info@aryzta.com

Germany wants to release bank stress test results -report

June 17 (Reuters) – The German government wants to release the results of stress tests conducted on its banks, and is coordinating the action at a European level, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

Regulatory News | Global Markets

Citing unidentified government sources, Financial Times Deutschland said Berlin had sent signals to Europe and the Group of Seven nations that it “basically supports” transparency with regard to the tests. (Reporting by Brian Rohan)

Russia pursuing independent policy vis-a-vis Iran: Kremlin

Russia is pursuing an independent policy vis-a-vis Iran and its stance on Tehran’s nuclear programme was neither pro-US nor pro-Iranian, according to a top Kremlin official.

Responding to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahemadinejad’s claim that Russia is siding with Tehran’s enemies in the crisis over the Iranian nuclear drive, Kremlin foreign policy aide Sergei Prikhodko said, “Russia is unfailingly guided by its long-term government interests.”

Rejecting Ahmadinejad’s claims Prikhodko said Russia’s position is “specifically Russian, it reflects the interests of all Russia’s people, and therefore can be neither pro-American nor pro-Iranian.”

“Any unpredictability, political extremism, lack of transparency or inconsistency in decision-making…is unacceptable for Russia,” Prikhodko was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

“No one has ever managed to retain their authority through political demagoguery,” Prikhodko added.

Russia is building Iran’s first nuclear power plant in Bushehr city, a facility expected to finally come online in August after a series of delays.

Number of Malaysian women in high posts still way behind male counterparts

Kuala Lumpur, May 16 (ANI): The percentage of Malaysian women occupying top-positions is increasing, but they have a long way to go before they catch up with their male counterparts.

According to Good Governance and Gender Equality Society vice-president Professor Dr Cecilia Ng, only 10.8 percent of MPs were women, adding that they only comprised 12 percent of those holding senior posts in the local authorities, The Star reports.

“We are still far from achieving the target of women constituting at least 30 percent at the decision-making level,” she says.

She envisages an equal power-sharing scenario for men and women in the future, “We hope to have a 50-50 share between men and women in all fields one day.”

Authorities in Penang have initiated a workshop on “Including Gender in Good Governance.”

About 40 officers from the two councils and heads of departments attended the workshop that was aimed at introducing the concept of gender equality.

Topics covered in the workshop include- the principles of good governance like transparency and accountability, the impact on gender perceptions on the implementation of good governance principles etc, the paper reports. (ANI)

Labour Party expels candidate over ‘sex’ploits

London, Apr 27 (ANI): Another Labour Party candidate, John Cowan, has bitten the dust after being expelled from the Party after he boasted about his ‘sex’ploits online.

John Cowan had advertised for people to pose nude for his portfolio and made indiscrete remarks about how he did not want his children to marry a Muslim. Cowan had earlier been expelled by the Liberal Democrat Party for sending ‘sexual emails’ reports SKY News.

“I post what I think. I think to be honest there is a level of transparency there that isn”t normally associated with many people in politics.” an unrepentant Cowan was quoted by The Sunday Telegraph, as saying.

Cowan joins the ranks of several other politicians whose sexual behaviour resulted in the demise of their political careers. (ANI)

Manmohan Singh calls for effective functioning of village councils to help tackle Maoist menace

New Delhi, Apr 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the effective functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions or the village councils can help tackle the Maoist menace in remote and backward areas.

Dr Singh said that participation of panchayats in various development programmes was essential, as they understand the local needs.

“Panchayats not only make direct participation possible for the marginalised section of society in governance, but also play an important role in ensuring transparency and accountability in the functioning of government institutions and officials. Panchayats play a vital role in the development of a region through various schemes, as it better understands the local needs of the people,” said Dr Singh after inaugurating the national conference to celebrate the National Panchayati Raj Day.

“That is why in the 11th Five Year Plan, Panchayati Raj Institutions have been given important role. We have to give special attention to the country”s remote and most backward areas including the tribal areas where Panchayati Raj Institutions can play an effective role. This will help us in tackling the challenges such as the Maoist menace, he added.

Dr Singh appeared positive as he said the share to the Panchayats in tax collections given to them under the 13th Finance commission in the last budget, would give panchayats the status of local administrative units in real sense.

“Our government is fully aware of the challenges faced by panchayats. We always try to provide basic facilities to the Panchayati Raj Institutions and ensure funds, functions and functionaries for them, so that it can give a new shape to the services provided through the panchayats,” said Dr Singh.

“We also want to increase the capacity of the Panchayati Raj Institutions. One main thing in the facilities given by the 13th Finance commission as announced in the last budget is that the panchayats were given a share in taxes. This will give panchayats the status of local administrative units in real sense,” he added.

The Prime Minister also presented awards for Effective Implementation of Panchayats Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Scheme to the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Sikkim.

He also released a two-volume report for 2010 on the status of Panchayati Raj on the occasion that also witnessed the presence of Panchayati Raj Minister C P Joshi and A N P Sinha, the Secretary of Ministry of Pachayati Raj. (ANI)

Malaysian Government to fund and train Indian entrepreneurs

Petaling Jaya (Malaysia), Apr.24 (ANI): A Malay Indian business chamber leader, K.K.Eswaran, has said that RM one million has been allocated for the training of Indian entrepreneurs, and is expected to be given out within the next few weeks.

The allocation marks the first time the Malaysian Government is fully funding a training program run by the Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI), The Star quoted Eswaran, as saying.

“If we are able to run the training successfully, the other RM1mil will also be given to us. Not only that, more funding will follow,” Eswaran told reporters yesterday.

Eswaran said MAICCI would be forming a special task force to draw up a proper module for the training to ensure courses offered would be relevant for the participants.

He pledged transparency and accountability in the use of the allocation, saying an audit report would be presented to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and other MAICCI members. (ANI)

Business baulks at executive pay changes

Big business has hit out at the Federal Government over its latest push to rein in huge executive pay packets.

The Government has not only endorsed the Productivity Commission’s inquiry into the way executives are paid, it has gone a step further by proposing a rule that would claw back bonuses from corporate cowboys who fail to deliver on their promises.

The Shareholders Association thinks it is a good idea, but company directors question whether the idea is workable.

Finance Minister Chris Bowen says he plans to introduce the legislation later this year which will force boards to be more accountable and give shareholders more power.

“I think this package does improve shareholder engagement and shareholder say over pay, and it introduces more transparency and minimises conflicts of interest,” he said.

The new laws are based on a recent report from the Productivity Commission. Included in its recommendations is a controversial two-strikes policy.

This means company boards would have to step aside and stand for re-election if 25 per cent of shareholders voted against a remuneration package twice.

Mr Bowen says shareholders often vote against directors’ pay packets but they are effectively ignored because their votes are not always binding.

“And I think that will concentrate the minds of directors to ensure that they are taking into account the views of their shareholders when setting pay,” he said.

‘Heavy-handed’

But John Colvin from the Institute of Company Directors says the idea is not workable or needed because there are already board spill laws in place.

“We’re a bit perplexed and quite frankly bemused at why we would have such a heavy-handed, red-taped, legislative approach to this area,” he said.

“Whilst there are examples of, and we acknowledge those, of pay outcomes which haven’t been in line with either company expectations… on the whole Australian remuneration of corporate governance has been very good.”

The Government also wants to make corporate cowboys hand back their bonuses if they do not live up to their promises.

Mr Bowen says there is an anomaly in the law that does not penalise chief executives for making misleading statements.

“Where there’s a material misstatement in a company’s financial statements then that leads to a bonus, there’s no capacity for shareholders to get that bonus back if that is proven to be the case later on,” he said.

“That hasn’t been a big issue in Australia, I have to say in fairness. But it has been an issue some places elsewhere around the world and I think it’s prudent that we make sure the law is robust as possible.

“So I’m consulting about that. That wasn’t part of the Productivity Commission’s recommendations.

“I’m consulting about that and about the best method, but I do think there’s an anomaly there which needs to be fixed.”

Graham Bradley from the Business Council of Australia is curious about the claw-back concept and whether it is needed in Australia.

“There is no reason in principle why executives should be awarded if they’re responsible for material misstatements in company’s affairs, and many large companies already have rules to that effect,” he said.

“We’re not quite sure how the Government intends to legislate this particularly complex proposal that they’ve made and we’re looking forward to consulting with them on the details.”

‘Positive’ step

The Australian Shareholders Association (ASA) says it is surprised by the Government’s whole-hearted endorsement of the Productivity Commission’s report.

Association spokeswoman Claire Doherty says the response is much stronger than they had anticipated.

“We think that it’s a very well-measured, very well-considered report,” she said.

“I think that there are some who think that it hasn’t gone far enough and there are others on the other side who think that it’s gone way too far, which is probably a good indication that it’s quite measured.”

“So from the ASA’s point of view, it certainly went a little bit further than we had asked, but we’re very positive about the recommendations and we’re very hopeful that they’ll have the effect of making boards much more accountable on this issue which is very important to shareholders.”

But with an election looming, Mr Colvin has questioned the timing of the Government’s response.

“I think there might be something in that. I think it might backfire though, if you think that there are over two million directors in Australia and this type of legislation doesn’t apply just to listed companies,” he said.

“These types of legislation, like the termination payments, apply to not-for-profits, to charities, to school boards, to hospitals.

“And if you’re going to have all this type of regulation governing them as well, you’ve got to ask yourself why, what’s the mischief and why are we adding this sort of regulatory burden?”

GeckoSystems Applauds BUYINS.NET’s GCKO Naked Short Analyses

CONYERS, GA, Apr 12 (MARKET WIRE) —
GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. (PINKSHEETS: GCKO) reported today that they are
very pleased with the impact of the recent and ongoing GCKO naked short
analyses currently being performed by BUYINS.NET. GeckoSystems is a
dynamic leader in the emerging mobile robotics industry revolutionizing
their development and usage with “Mobile Robot Solutions for Safety,
Security and Service(TM).”

On Mar. 29 these press releases were distributed:
“GeckoSystems Retains
BUYINS.NET for Naked Short Analyses”
“BUYINS.NET Issues GeckoSystems
International SqueezeTrigger Report”

Results to date per BUYINS.NET’s analyses:
Mar. 29: 62,350 naked
shorts, 32.90% of the 189,520 sold.
Mar. 30: 460,950 naked shorts,
81.60% of the 564,900 sold.
Mar. 31: 97,500 naked shorts, 48.51% of the
201,000 sold.
Apr. 1: 617,575 naked shorts, 70.29% of the 878,575 sold.

Apr. 2: Good Friday
Apr. 5: 145,100 naked shorts, 33.95% of the
427,377 sold.
Apr. 6: 1,978,577 naked shorts, 26.33% of the 7,514,131
sold.
Apr. 7: 288,163 naked shorts, 23.99% of the 1,201,273 sold.

Apr. 8: 35,000 naked shorts, 8.22% of the 426,000 sold.

BUYINS.NET provides Regulation SHO compliance monitoring, short sale
trading statistics, and market integrity surveillance coverage. According
to BUYINS.NET initial report at the market close, March 26, 2010: The
total aggregate number of shares shorted since August 2009 is
approximately 108 million shares. The SqueezeTrigger price for GCKO
shares shorted is $0.024. 42.29 million shares (39%) of all shares
shorted since August 2009 are currently out-of-the-money and already
squeezing. 65.8 million (61%) of the shares shorted will begin squeezing
above $0.032. BUYINS.NET is currently monitoring GCKO market makers daily
for compliance with Fair Market-Making Requirements.

“We have worked very hard for many years to provide a high quality
investment vehicle with ready liquidity and transparency for our hundreds
of investors. We secured our trading symbol by satisfying FINRA’s 15c-211
requirements in September of 2007. We secured DTC eligibility for
electronic trading in January of 2008 and became a DRS participant in
July of 2009 to further ensure and enhance that liquidity. Now, we can
report initial results from this stock market analytic firm renowned for
its demonstrable success in routinely and reliably identifying, with
statistical substance, those firms engaged in the naked short selling of
stock contrary to the SEC’s Regulation SHO.

“We are very pleased to now be able to provide this heightened level of
transparency to our present GCKO stockholders and other prospective
investors. We have prepared a simple trend line analysis of the foregoing
data in a chart available for viewing and/or downloading on our website,”
stated Martin Spencer, President/CEO, GeckoSystems.

“As we continue to effectuate our corporate policy of providing
stockholders heightened liquidity and transparency, we are very pleased
to be able to offer our stockholders an enhanced view of the market’s
activity in GCKO trading and probable greater ease in their purchases and
sales of GCKO stock. We wish to communicate to our hundreds of
stockholders that this greater transparency and efficiency in the
marketplace for our stock as a BUYINS.NET subscriber may further enhance
the value of GCKO stock and increase ROI for them,” opined Spencer.

About BUYINS.NET

BUYINS.NET, http://www.buyins.net, monitors trading in all US stocks in
real time and maintains massive databases of short sale and naked short
sale time and sales data, short squeeze SqueezeTrigger prices, market
maker price movements, shareholder data, statistical data on earnings,
sector correlation, seasonality, hedge fund trading strategies,
comparable valuations. Reports include:

Regulatory & Compliance News

Friction Factor — market maker surveillance system tracking Level II
market makers in all stocks to determine Price Friction and compliance
with new “Fair Market Making Requirements.”

RegSHO Naked Shorts — tracks EVERY failure to deliver in all US stocks
and tracks all Threshold Security Lists daily for which stocks have naked
shorts that are not in compliance with Regulation SHO.

Investments & Trading

SqueezeTrigger — 25 billion cell database tracks EVERY short sale (not
just total short interest) in all US stocks and calculates volume
weighted price that a short squeeze will begin in each stock.

Earnings Edge — predicts probability, price move and length of move
before and after all US stock earnings reports.

Seasonality — predicts probability, price move and length of move based
on exact time of year for all US stocks.

Group Trader — tracks sector rotation and stock correlation to its
sector and predicts future moves in ALL sectors and industry groups.

Pattern Scan — automates tracking of every technical pattern and
predicts time and size of move in all stocks.

GATS (Global Automated Trading System) — tracks all known trading
strategies and qualifies and quantifies which are working best in real
time.

Disclaimer:

BUYINS.NET is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained
in any materials should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell
any securities. GeckoSystems has paid no stock, directly or indirectly,
but cash only, to purchase the foregoing analyses to provided in daily
and monthly reports. Please visit their web site, http://www.buyins.net,
for complete risks and disclosures.

Contact:

BUYINS.NET
800-715-9999

About GeckoSystems International Corporation:

Since 1997, GeckoSystems has developed a comprehensive, coherent, and
sufficient suite of hardware and software inventions to enable a new type
of home appliance (a personal robot) the CareBot(TM), to be created for
the mass consumer marketplace. The suite of primary inventions includes:
GeckoNav(TM), GeckoChat(TM) and GeckoTrak(TM).

The primary market for this product is the family for use in eldercare,
care for the chronically ill, and childcare. The primary distribution
channel for this new home appliance is the thousands of independent
personal computer retailers in the U.S. The manufacturing infrastructure
for this new product category of mobile service robots is essentially the
same as the personal computer industry. Several outside contract
manufacturers have been identified and qualified their ability to produce
up to 1,000 CareBots per month within four to six months.

The Company is market driven. At the time of founding, over twelve years
ago, the Company did extensive primary market research to determine the
demographic profile of the early adopters of the then proposed product
line. Subsequent to, and based on that original market research, they
have assembled numerous focus groups to evaluate the fit of the CareBot
personal robot into the participant’s lives and their expected usage. The
Company has also frequently employed the Delphi market research
methodology by contacting and interviewing senior executives,
practitioners, and researchers knowledgeable in the area of elder care.
Using this factual basis of internally performed primary and secondary
market research, and third party research is the statistical substance
for the Company’s sales forecasts.

Not surprisingly the scientific statistical analyses applied revealed
that elderly over sixty-five living alone in metropolitan areas with
broadband Internet available and sufficient household incomes to support
the increased costs were identified as those most likely to adopt
initially. Due to the high cost of assisted living, nursing homes, etc.
the payback for a CareBot(TM) is expected to be only six to eight months
while keeping elderly care receivers independent, in their own long time
homes, and living longer due to the comfort and safety of more frequent
attention from their loved ones.

“We project the available market size in dollars for cost effective,
utilitarian, multitasking eldercare personal robots in 2011 to be $74.0B,
in 2012 to be $77B, in 2013 to be $80B, in 2014 to be $83.3B, and in 2015
to be $86.6B. With market penetrations of 0.03% in 2011, 0.06% in 2012,
0.22% in 2013, 0.53% in 2014, and 0.81% in 2015, we will anticipate
CareBot sales, from this consumer market segment, only, of $22.0M,
$44.0M, $176M, $440.2M, and $704.3M, respectively. We expect these sales
despite — and perhaps because of — the present recession due to pent up
demand for significant cost reduction in eldercare expenses,” opined
Spencer.

The foregoing forecasts do not include sales in non-metropolitan areas;
elderly couples over 65 (only elderly living alone are in these
forecasts); those chronically ill — regardless of age — or elderly
living with their adult children.

The Company’s “mobile robot solutions for safety, security and
service(TM)” are appropriate not only for the consumer, but also
professional healthcare, commercial security and defense markets.
Professional healthcare require cost effective, timely errand running,
portable telemedicine, etc. Homeland Security requires cost effective
mobile robots to patrol and monitor public venues for weapons and WMD
detection. Military users desire the elimination of the “man in the loop”
to enable unmanned ground and air vehicles to not require constant human
control and/or intervention.

The Company’s business model is very much like that of an automobile
manufacturer. Due to the final assembly, test, and shipping being done
based on geographic and logistic realities; strategic
business-to-business relationships can range from private labeling to
joint manufacturing and distribution to licensing only.

Several dozen patent opportunities exist for the Company due to the many
innovative and cost effective breakthroughs embodied not only in
GeckoNav, GeckoChat, and GeckoTrak, but also in additional, secondary
systems that include: GeckoOrient(TM), GeckoMotorController(TM), the
GeckoTactileShroud(TM), the CompoundedSensorArray(TM), and the
GeckoSPIO(TM).

The present senior management at GeckoSystems has over thirty-five years
experience in consumer electronics sales and marketing and product
development. Senior managers have been identified for the areas of
manufacturing, marketing, sales, and finance.

While GeckoSystems has been in the Development Stage, the Company has
accumulated losses to date in excess of six million dollars. In contrast,
the Japanese government has spent one hundred million dollars in grants
(to Sanyo, Toshiba, Hitachi, Fujitsu, NEC, etc.) over the same time
period to develop personal robots for their eldercare crisis, yet no
viable solutions have been developed.

GeckoSystems is the first mobile robot developer in the world to begin
actual in-home eldercare evaluation trials.

What Does a CareBot Do for the Care Giver?

The short answer is that it decreases the difficulty and stress for the
caregiver that needs to watch over Grandma, Mom, or other family members
most, if not much, of the time day in and day out due to concerns about
their well being, safety, and security.

But, first let’s look at some other labor saving, automatic home
appliances most of us use routinely. For example, needing to do two or
more necessary chores and/or activities at the same time, like laundering
clothes and preparing supper.

The automatic washing machine needs no human intervention after the dirty
clothes are placed in the washer, the laundry powder poured in, and the
desired wash cycle set. Then, this labor saving appliance runs
automatically until the washed clothes are ready to be placed in another
labor saving home appliance, the automatic clothes dryer. While the
clothes are being washed and/or dried, the caregiver prepares supper
using several time saving home appliances like the microwave oven,
“crock” pot, blender, and conventional stove, with possible convection
oven capabilities.

After supper, the dirty pots, pans, and dishes are placed in the
automatic dishwasher to be washed and dried while the family retires to
the den to watch TV, and/or the kids to do homework. Later, perhaps after
the kids have gone to bed, the caregiver may then have the time to fold,
sort, and put up the now freshly laundered clothes.

So what does a CareBot do for the caregiver? It is a new type of labor
saving, time management automatic home appliance.

For example, the care giver frequently feels time stress when they need
to go shopping for 2 or 3 hours, and are uncomfortable when they have to
be away for more than an hour or so. Time stress is much worse for the
caregiver with a frail elderly parent that must be reminded to take
medications at certain times of the day. How can the caregiver be away
for 3-4 hours when Grandma must take her prescribed medication every 2 or
3 hours? If the caregiver is trapped in traffic for an hour or two beyond
the 2 or 3 they expected to be gone, this “time stress” can be very
difficult for the caregiver to moderate.

Not infrequently, the primary caregiver has a 24 hour, 7 days a week
responsibility. After weeks and weeks of this sometimes tedious, if not
onerous routine, how does the caregiver get a “day off?” To bring in an
outsider is expensive (easily $75-125 per day for just 8 hours) and there
is the concern that medication will be missed or the care receiver have
an accident requiring immediate assistance by the caregiver, or someone
they must designate. And the care receiver may be very resistant to a
“stranger” coming in to her home and “running things.”

So what is it worth for a care receiver to have an automatic system to
help take care of Grandma? Just 3 or 4 days a month “off” on a daylong
shopping trip, a visit with friends, or just take in a movie would cost
$225-500 per month. And that scenario assumes that Grandma is willing to
be taken care of by a “stranger” during those needed and appropriate days
off.

So perhaps, an automatic caregiver, a CareBot, might be pretty handy, and
potentially very cost effective from the primary caregiver’s perspective.

What Does a CareBot Do for the Care Receiver?

It’s a new kind of companion that always stays close to them enabling
family and friends to care for them from afar. It tells them jokes,
retells family anecdotes, reminds them to take medication, reminds them
that family is coming over soon (or not at all), recites Bible verses,
plays favorite songs and/or other music. It alerts them when unexpected
visitors, or intruders are present. It notifies designated caregivers
when a potentially harmful event has occurred, such as a fall, fire in
the home, or simply been not found by the CareBot for too long. It
responds to calls for help and notifies those that the caregiver
determined should be immediately notified when any predetermined adverse
event occurs.

The family can customize the personality of the CareBot. The voice’s
cadence can be fast or slow. The intonation can be breathy, or abrupt.
The voice’s volume can range from very loud to very soft. The response
phrases from the CareBot for recognized words and phrases can be
colloquial and/or unique to the family’s own heritage. The personality
can range from brassy to timid depending on how the care giver, and
others appropriate, chooses it to be.

Generally, the care receiver is pleased at the prospect of family being
able to drop in for a “virtual visit” using the onboard webcam and video
monitor for at home “video conferencing.” The care receiver may feel much
more needed and appreciated when their far flung family and friends can
“look in” on them anywhere in the world where they can get broadband
internet access and simply chat for a bit.

Why is Grandma really interested in a CareBot? She wants to stay in her
home, or her family’s home, as long as she possibly can. What’s that
worth? Priceless. Or, an average nursing home is $5,000 per month for an
environment that is too often the beginning of a spiral downward in the
care receiver’s health. That’s probably $2-3K more per month for them to
be placed where they really don’t want to be. Financial payback on a
CareBot? Less than a year- Emotional payback for the family to have this
new automatic care giver? Nearly instantaneous-

Safe Harbor:

Statements regarding financial matters in this press release other than
historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such
statements about the Company’s future expectations, including future
revenues and earnings, technology efficacy and all other forward-looking
statements be subject to the Safe Harbors created thereby. The Company is
a development stage firm that continues to be dependent upon outside
capital to sustain its existence. Since these statements (future
operational results and sales) involve risks and uncertainties and are
subject to change at any time, the Company’s actual results may differ
materially from expected results.

Contact:
www.GeckoSystems.com
or
Main number: 1-866-CAREBOT
International: +1 678-413-9236

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

Testing times: Gillard, teachers on collision course

Australia’s biggest education union has decided to go ahead with its threatened boycott of next month’s national literacy and numeracy tests.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) represents teachers in public schools and the union’s national executive has voted for an immediate ban on teachers handing out the tests.

The Federal Education Minister, Julia Gillard, is equally adamant the exam will take place and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the Government will not be intimidated.

Mr Rudd is all for national testing for literacy and numeracy and the publication of each school’s results on the Government’s My School website.

“Mums and dads right across Australia, schools right across the country want to see how their school is performing and how we lift the quality of the performance of each school,” he said.

“[It] doesn’t matter where you come from; small towns, large cities, state schools, non-government schools, people actually want to see the performance of their schools lifted.”

Students in years three, five, seven and nine are due to sit the tests next month, but some teachers are worried about how the results will be used.

Mr Rudd has dismissed their concerns that it will lead to the creation of simple league tables, ranking schools from best to worst.

“I don’t believe anyone should be fearful of transparency. We need to have a transparent system which is all about lifting the standards of our schools,” he said.

But the Government is on a collision course with the AEU.

AEU president Angelo Gavrielatos says the national executive has voted unanimously for a ban on the tests.

“The resolve is unwavering. This is a touchstone issue for the profession,” he said.

“We take our ethical and professional responsibility to our students and our school communities very seriously, and if the Government won’t act to protect students, well then clearly we will.

“In schools and in education we always celebrate success, but what we can’t do is reinforce failure.

“We’re talking about children as young as in year three, five, seven and nine. International research and evidence shows that league tables are damaging for students, damaging for schools.”

Parental supervision

And Mr Gavrielatos is still angry about the Government’s suggestion that parents could help supervise the test if some teachers will not.

“You would have seen today a number of parent organisations – Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria – have all come out and condemned that announcement,” he said.

“Ultimately it would be an extreme act by any Labor government to consider such action.”

Ms Gillard says the union has made the wrong decision and is appealing to teachers to ignore the order and administer the tests.

“I’ll be saying to teachers stay the course, stay with the national testing. I’m saying to the AEU it’s made the wrong decision,” she said.

“As Minister for Education I’m in the process of canvassing all options to ensure the national testing rolls out as scheduled.”

Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne says Ms Gillard must sit down and talk to the union.

“That’s what the Coalition is calling for. Her stubbornness in refusing to do so is placing the education system at risk of breaking down through division and disunity created by her,” he said.

Negotiate

President of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Association of NSW, Dianne Giblin, is also urging the union not to go ahead with the boycott.

“For us it will be very disappointing,” she said.

“We would not support the boycott of NAPLAN testing, but what we would like to see is the Government and the union starting to have conversations to resolve this issue.”

She says some parents have indicated they would be willing to supervise tests, but she says that would be inappropriate.

“This is a government responsibility and governments need to be assuring parents that they will find [the means for] the test to go ahead and they will negotiate with the unions to come to a satisfactory resolution for our kids.”

Chris Watt from the Independent Education Union says while it shares concerns about how the data will be used, the tests will go ahead in private schools.

“We, like the AEU, have some concerns about the presentation of data, but we’re hopeful at this stage that we can continue to be heard on that and work on getting some improvements,” he said.

But Mr Watt says the test results are valuable to private schools.

“Our members are saying to us the thing that they find most valuable in the NAPLAN tests is irrelevant to the My Schools website and that is that it’s being used as a diagnostic tool, and that’s what they want to continue to do it,” he said.

Bahrain cbank says unaware of AUB bid details

MANAMA, April 11 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s central bank on Sunday said it was unaware of the identity of the bidder for a 25-percent stake in the country’s biggest lender, Ahli United Bank AUBB.BH (AUBK.KW), casting further doubts on the sale.

Financials

AUB said last week that Kuwaiti investment firm Tamdeen (TAMK.KW) plus other, unnamed shareholders had agreed to sell 25 percent in the Bahraini bank to an undisclosed buyer from the Gulf Arab region. “The CBB is aware but does not have the details, nor the name of the buyer,” a central bank spokeswoman said in a written statement to Reuters.

“Also we did not receive the request (to approve the stake sale) yet,” she said.

Shares in AUB initially surged on the bid news but fell 9 percent on Thursday as investors pulled back from the deal dogged by questions in a region reknown for lacking transparency in merger and acquisitions. [ID:nLDE6371VB]

(Reporting by Frederik Richter; Editing by Amran Abocar)

Opposition calls for release of hospital performance data

The State Opposition is accusing Premier John Brumby of secretly withholding damaging information on Victoria’s health system.

Mr Brumby has released his own plan for an overhaul of national health policy, which he says is better than the the Federal Government’s proposed takeover.

But opposition health spokesman, David Davis, has slammed Mr Brumby’s calls for transparency.

He is questioning why the State Government has not released any hospital performance data for the second half of last year.

“Where are those figures and why is Mr Brumby so slow to release them,” he asked.

“With the exception of South Australia, that’s had an election, Victoria’s the only state that’s failed to release the figures for the first half of the financial year across the country.”

U.S. says China nuclear programs lack transparency

The United States said on Tuesday the lack of transparency surrounding China’s nuclear programs raises questions about the country’s future strategic intentions.

“China’s nuclear arsenal remains much smaller than the arsenals of Russia and the United States,” the Obama administration said in a nuclear policy document unveiled on Tuesday. “But the lack of transparency surrounding its nuclear programs — their pace and scope, as well as the strategy and doctrine that guides them — raises questions about China’s future strategic intentions.”

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Editing by Sandra Maler)

China says dams not to blame for low Mekong levels

China on Monday denied that its dams were reducing water levels on the Mekong River and blamed problems along the river on unusually dry weather, but it also offered to share more data with its neighbours.

Leaders of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, badly hit by the Mekong’s biggest drop in water levels in decades, met in the Thai coastal town of Hua Hin to discuss management of Southeast Asia’s longest waterway. Some 65 million people depend on the river.

China sent vice foreign minister Song Tao to rebut criticism of the eight hydropower dams it has built or is building in its south.

“Statistics show the recent drought that hit the whole river basin is attributable to the extreme dry weather, and the water level decline of the Mekong River has nothing to do with the hydropower development,” Song said in an official statement after the meeting.

The Mekong originates in the Tibetan plateau and flows 4,800 km (2,980 miles) through rice-rich areas of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia before emptying into the South China Sea off Vietnam.

Song said southwestern China was suffering its worst drought in decades. Beijing says the drought has left about 18 million people and 11 million animals with insufficient drinking water and affects 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of crops.

Activists and environmentalists say China has not provided relevant data to assess the impact of the dams on water flows.

But Song said it had given rainy season data since 2003 and dry-season data from two hydrological stations since March in response to requests from its four downstream neighbours through the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission (MRC).

Environmental organisations in the lower Mekong basin, particularly in Thailand, have long accused China of a lack of transparency in water management policies.

In particular, they are demanding more detailed data from Xiaowan hydroelectric dam on the upper reaches of the Mekong. Xiaowan, China’s second-largest hydroelectric station, began storing water in its reservoir last October.

Government officials in the four Mekong countries are more guarded in their comments, mindful of trade and investment flows.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters the dialogue with China had been positive, commending the powerful northern neighbour for cooperation and for providing data.

“The heart of effective management of the water is information sharing. I am optimistic it will become more systematic and more consistent. It will allow for more effective management of the river as well as building of trust,” he said.

ONE STEP FORWARD

Activists said giving data was a step in the right direction.

“We need more and we need effective management of available data. But simply breaking that silence is progress for us after years of very little information on what’s going on upstream,” said Pianporn Deetes, spokeswoman for the Save the Mekong Coalition, an alliance of environmental groups.

But Pianporn said the water level problem could not be put down simply to drought and more cooperation was needed.

“If the dams don’t contribute to the loss of water level, China should publicly release information on water level flows that goes back several decades, not just the latest.”

Song said China had responded to the concerns of downstream countries, even at the expense of some hydropower projects.

To prevent any impact on fish migration, Beijing cancelled one hydroelectric plant, the Mengsong, on the upper reaches, Song said, and it was planning to build a counter-regulation reservoir to prevent abnormal downstream fluctuations in water level.

(Editing by Alan Raybould and Ron Popeski)

Coalition: Labor ignored S-E marine threat

The Member for Bega, Andrew Constance has accused the government of a lack of transparency regarding the suspected outbreak of a marine pest on the New South Wales Far South Coast.

An investigation is under-way at Eden’s Twofold Bay after divers found an organism believed to be the sea squirt, which can damage infrastructure and smother mussel and oyster stocks.

Mr Constance says the government was aware of the infestation more than a month ago, but failed to act.

He says the Minister for Primary Industries, Steve Whan, neglected the issue.

“Let’s be precautious about the potential threat of a major hazard to our marine environment on the Far South Coast,” he said.

“The Labor government did not come clean on this potential threat.

“I think it raises some big questions about the administration by Steve Whan.”

For more, go to the South East News blog at http://bit.ly/dgL1SN

Reserve Bank defends transparency on rates policy

The Governor of the Reserve Bank has shrugged off concerns about transparency regarding its interest rate decisions.

After a speech about global financial developments in Sydney this morning, Glenn Stevens said that prior to the economic downturn, financial markets and economists were too relaxed about when central banks would move rates.

“One of the problems in the pre-crisis risk build-up period was arguably a little bit too much comfort being taken by financial markets and borrowers generally, that the central bank would never hurt them or surprise them,” he said.

“But we have certainly never made a commitment that there’ll not be surprises and nor should we and nor should any central bank in my opinion.”

In February, the RBA shocked economists and financial markets by leaving the cash rate on hold after three consecutive monthly rises at the end of last year.

Mr Stevens said the Reserve Bank’s decisions should be thought about within an agreed framework.

“I think that framework remains in place, certainly in our case,” he said.

“It’s possibly more difficult elsewhere, where unconventional things have had to be done and everybody’s working in unfamiliar territory.

“But here, we’ve got the same framework, the same objective, the same modus operandi, but there’ll still be the occasional controversy over did they or didn’t they or will they or wont’ they in this particular month,” he added.

“I don’t think actually think from an overall perspective that’s all that big a deal, frankly.”

Mr Stevens also rejected suggestions that increased demand from foreign investors and temporary residents is driving up Australian property prices.

When asked whether the abolition of restrictions on property purchases by temporary residents and foreign investors had led to house price inflation, he said there were no hard facts to support that theory.

“While there probably is some more prominence of foreign buyers, it’s most likely still a very small share of overall turnover,” Mr Stevens said.

“Mostly what’s pushing up housing prices over the past 15 months or more, is Australians, who are seeking to get or to upgrade their accommodation.”

Baimiao becomes China’s “first naked township government”

Beijing, Mar. 17 (ANI): China’s remote Baimiao Township in Sichuan province has become the first in the country to make its accounts public.

The government published detailed accounts of its expenditures, including a 1.5-yuan purchase of a pad of writing paper on its website – thus earning it the title of “the first naked township government.”

“In order for power to operate in sunshine, financial expenditures must be made public,” China Daily quoted the Communist Party chief of the town, as saying.

There have been cases of local governments providing vague details of their expenditures at the requests of inquisitive citizens, no other government in China seems willing for transparency.

In October, the municipal government of Shanghai turned down a request for information on the grounds that government expenditures were “state secrets.”

It is expected that following the publishing of Baimiao”s accounts, government officials will be forced to cut down the waste of public money.

According to the paper, the move has helped local officials get rid of popular suspicions of corruption, and has boosted public confidence in them. (ANI)

SIHIP gagging workers: Scullion

The Federal Opposition says the Government must reveal how much money has been spent on the NT Indigenous housing program.

Indigenous Affairs spokesman Nigel Scullion says the Federal Government is attempting to hide failures within the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP) by gagging contractors and workers.

“It is total confusion and that may be in the Government’s interest because they do not want total transparency,” Mr Scullion said.

“We have got ‘subbies’ that are being muzzled right across the board, they can’t talk. If we are going to hire your equipment, you’ve got to sign a secrecy contract.”

He says Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin needs to release more details about the program.

“The only way they are going to provide some transparency in this matter is the Government has got to produce a budget breakdown that includes the administration and overhead costs,” he said.

“Now the Government have that material. That’s going to provide the sort of transparency that will enable everybody to make a judgement on how this program is going.”

A spokesperson from Ms Macklin’s office said the Government would make sure the program delivers 750 new houses, and at least 110 house re-builds and refurbishments have been completed.

Choice gives nod to Australia’s best

The Good Guys and National Australia Bank (NAB) are among the winners of Australia’s best suppliers of goods and services handed out by consumer watchdog Choice.

Normally responsible for handing out brickbats, Choice celebrated its 50th anniversary last night by handing out its awards.

The Good Guys was named as best retailer, Google was best technology innovator, and NAB was awarded for best low fee account.

Luisa Ford from NAB Personal Banking accepted the award and said there has been great demand among consumers for its accounts since the removal of monthly fees.

“I think consumers are always going to be cost conscious, but also they’re looking to their bank to do the right thing,” she said.

“That’s something NAB’s really passionate about, making sure that it is doing the right thing for consumers and ultimately that’s going to make us more competitive too.”

Dr Andrew Monk from Australian Certified Organic says his company won because consumers are looking for food with integrity.

“I think there’s a lot of label claims in the market place that either confuse consumers or aren’t necessarily based on transparent standards,” he said.

“The bud logo with the words ‘Australia Certified Organic’ is clearly one out of the pack because of the transparency and work we put into standards.”

Study casts doubts on safety of invisible nano-sunscreens

Melbourne, Mar 8 (ANI): While nano-sunscreens are considered very effective, a new Aussie modelling study has claimed that even the most effective nanoparticles in some invisible sunscreens might be the most toxic.

Dr Amanda Barnard of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering in Melbourne carried out her computer simulation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles are used to make some sunscreens transparent, increasing their appeal to some consumers.

“There”s a whole range of demographics that would never ever use sunscreens if they were ugly,” ABC Science quoted Barnard as saying.

“The transparent ones do increase usage and protection from skin cancer in certain demographics, so they do have an important function,” he added.

However, she said that many doubts have been raised about the safety of such sunscreens.

One particular concern is whether the nanoparticles interact with sunlight to produce free radicals that damage tissues or DNA.

Barnard”s computer model examined titanium dioxide nanoparticles from 3 to 200 nanometres in size.

“This is the size range that would generally be used in different types of sunscreens,” she said.

The model predicted the affect of nanoparticle size and concentration on sun-protection ability, transparency and potential to produce free radicals.

It was found that the size and concentrations of nanoparticles that gave the best transparency and sun protection also gave the highest potential for production of free radicals.

“Where we have the highest sun-protection factor – and it”s pretty – it [the sunscreen] is also toxic, potentially,” said Barnard.

She found that only particles less than 13 nanometres in size would minimise free radical production while maximising transparency and sun protection.

The study has been published in the latest issue of Nature Nanotechnology. (ANI)